No Excuses At-Home Holiday Workout

Good morning! I hope your Tuesday is starting off on a great note. I’m currently typing this with a warm beverage in my hand and the ambiance of a lit Christmas tree in the background. I just love this time of year. It’s so cozy.

With the coziness, however, comes the craziness. The holiday season is upon us! With less than three weeks until Christmas, it’s very likely that our schedules are quickly filling up with holiday parties, family get togethers, school plays, and running around with extra to-dos on our list of things to do every day. (Also, Happy Hanukkah to those who are celebrating!)

Unless you’re extremely disciplined with staying on track with your fitness routine, there’s a chance that some of your trips to the gym might get pushed to the side this month. It’s normal. But, that doesn’t warrant an excuse to give up on working out altogether!

Today I have a total body bodyweight workout to share that you can complete in the comfort of your own home and in the midst of all the madness. As much as there is to get done, there’s nothing wrong with taking a half hour out of your day to focus on your health and fitness goals.

No excuses!

Complete the exercises consecutively as a circuit, and repeat 2 to 3 times. As always, I recommend to drink plenty of water throughout the workout, and that you modify and rest as needed. If something doesn’t feel right, take it easy and slow it down. If it feels easy, pick up the pace. Listen to your body, y’all!

If you decide to give this workout a try, please take a look at the exercises below for cues on technique on form. Enjoy!

Exercise Breakdown

While I usually feature original photos in my exercise descriptions, this workout showcases a collection of awesome (sourced) photos from POPSUGAR. They’ve covered close to every workout move out there!

Make sure your hips are in line with your shoulders, your elbows are under your shoulders, your legs are straight, and your core is tight. Hold this position tight anywhere from :30 to 1 minute without letting your back round or arch. You can always drop your knees to modify.

• bicycle crunches

Start on the floor with your lower back pressed into the mat or floor. Contract your core muscles. Place your hands behind your head and keep your elbows wide. Lift your left knee to about a 45 degree angle. Rotate your chest so that your right elbow reaches towards your left knee.

Slowly go through a bicycle pedal motion and alternate touching your elbows from side to side. One set of both knees is considered one rep. Complete for 20 reps.

• good mornings

Start by standing with your feet hip-width apart and your hands behind your head with your elbows wide. Keep your abs tight and back neutral while pressing your butt backward, keeping a slight bend to your knees. Hinge at the hips until your back is close to parallel to the floor.

Return to your standing position while squeezing your glutes. This is one rep.

• single leg floor bridges

Start by lying on your back with your legs bent and feet flat on the floor. They should be about hip-width apart. Arms should be resting by your sides. Lift your left leg off of the ground and flex the foot.

Squeeze your glutes to lift your hips and hold the position for about 2 seconds. Stay on the heel of your bottom foot and keep squeezing your glutes. Slowly roll through the back to lower your hips without touching the floor and repeat 10 reps on each side. You want to aim to keep your lifted foot in a stationary hovered position. Don’t let it drop up and down as you bridge!

• side-arm push-ups

Start by lying on your right side with your knees and hip bent to a 45 degree angle. Wrap your right arm around your wait, and place your left hand in front of you with your fingertips parallel to your body. Keep your waist lifted and energy all the way out through the top of your head. Exhale and press your left hand into the ground to push yourself up. Straighten the left elbow, inhale, and slowly lower yourself back to your starting position.

Start lying face down with your arms extended forward, palms facing down, legs straight back. Raise your arms and legs off of the floor (just a couple of inches), then lift your left arm and right leg about six inches.

Keeping your head and chest lifted, switch arms and legs, lifting your right arm and left leg. That’s one rep. Complete 10 per side, or a total of 20. Remember to breathe throughout the exercise!

• side plank pulses

Start by lying on your side and stack your feet on top of each other. Position your elbow directly under your shoulder. Lift your hips and torso off of the ground while keeping the abs and glutes contracted. Place your hand on your hip.

Holding a side elbow plank, begin to lower and lift your hips in a small pulsing motion for 12 reps. Rest, then complete on the other side. You can modify this exercise by bending the bottom knee or intensify it by raising your top leg a few inches off of the other.

• curtsey lunges

These are also called cross back lunges and target your quads and glutes. (<- i.e. one of my faves!)

Start with your feet hip-width apart, and your hands on your hips or in fists in front of you. Take a big step back with your left leg, crossing it behind your right. Bend your knees and lower your hips until your right thigh is almost parallel to the floor. Keep your torso upright and your hips and shoulders as square to the front as possible.

Return to standing position and switch sides. This is one rep. Complete for 12 reps.

• jump squats

Start with your feet a bit wider than your shoulders. Stand tall, then come down into a squat position with your thighs slightly higher then your knees. Quickly push yourself up into the air (your body should be straight), then land in the squat position and pause for a moment before repeating.

You can always choose to do (stationary) air squats if you feel uncomfortable jumping.

***

While I usually try out all of the workouts I post before I publish them, I’m saving this one for later today. I have an eye appointment across town at 9 a.m., and then I’m driving over the the airport to pick Scott up from his trip. (Woot!)

If I have anything to do with it, both of us will be completing this circuit later this afternoon. I’ll let you know how it goes!

Like this type of workout?

Here are some similar bodyweight workouts that you can fit into a tight schedule:

Disclaimer: Although I am a certified personal trainer, I am not necessarily your personal trainer. The workouts I post are what work best for me, and might not be the right type of exercises for you. I always recommend consulting a doctor or health professional before making changes to your diet and/or fitness routine.

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About Heather

Heather is a blogger, social media consultant, and NASM-certified personal trainer living in New York City. Life In Leggings is a personal healthy lifestyle blog that follows her adventures in the City and helps others reach their goals by sharing original recipes, challenging workouts, healthy meal ideas, and everyday fitness tips. Thanks so much for stopping by!

Although we don’t celebrate Christmas but I can sense the spirit of Christmas in the air because I have a good number of friends from the western world. As far as workouts are concerned, I think it is really important to keep yourself healthy and fit all the time, no matter how busy you are and what season of the year it is. The exercises you have mentioned can help a lot in keeping one healthy and I will try to be more active and add some of them ( if not all ).Bharat Sharma recently posted…30 Major Health And Beauty Benefits of Apricots